Australia vs Iran: Cumulative CO₂ emissions
Australia
20.04 billion tonnes
in 2024
Iran
21.81 billion tonnes
in 2024
Australia rank
17th
Iran rank
15th
Cumulative CO₂ emissions over time
- Australia
- Iran
How they compare
Iran currently reports 21.81 billion tonnes against 20.04 billion tonnes in Australia, a difference of 1.77 billion tonnes.
That makes Iran's figure about 1.1 times Australia's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 115 shared years of data; in 1906 it was Australia ahead.
Australia ranks 17th and Iran ranks 15th of 215 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 12 and Iran in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | Iran | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 229.88 million tonnes | 3,664 tonnes | 229.87 million tonnes | Australia |
| 1910s | 403.14 million tonnes | 5.66 million tonnes | 397.48 million tonnes | Australia |
| 1920s | 638.98 million tonnes | 75.32 million tonnes | 563.66 million tonnes | Australia |
| 1930s | 912.67 million tonnes | 265.09 million tonnes | 647.58 million tonnes | Australia |
| 1940s | 1.28 billion tonnes | 590.37 million tonnes | 687.38 million tonnes | Australia |
| 1950s | 1.83 billion tonnes | 854.43 million tonnes | 979.92 million tonnes | Australia |
| 1960s | 2.72 billion tonnes | 1.19 billion tonnes | 1.52 billion tonnes | Australia |
| 1970s | 4.14 billion tonnes | 2.16 billion tonnes | 1.98 billion tonnes | Australia |
| 1980s | 6.14 billion tonnes | 3.62 billion tonnes | 2.53 billion tonnes | Australia |
| 1990s | 8.80 billion tonnes | 5.70 billion tonnes | 3.10 billion tonnes | Australia |
| 2000s | 12.27 billion tonnes | 9.35 billion tonnes | 2.92 billion tonnes | Australia |
| 2010s | 16.26 billion tonnes | 14.94 billion tonnes | 1.32 billion tonnes | Australia |
| 2020s | 19.27 billion tonnes | 20.24 billion tonnes | 971.58 million tonnes | Iran |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher cumulative co₂ emissions, Australia or Iran?
- Iran, at 21.81 billion tonnes against 20.04 billion tonnes in Australia as of 2024.
- What is the difference in cumulative co₂ emissions between Australia and Iran?
- 1.77 billion tonnes, with Iran ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and Iran?
- 115 years are reported by both, from 1906 to 2024.
- How do Australia and Iran rank globally for cumulative co₂ emissions?
- Australia ranks 17th and Iran ranks 15th of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Cumulative CO₂ emissions. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.